Cord plug



April 2, 1940. c. w. TUCKER 2,195,714

CORD PLUG Filed April 13. 1938 INVENTOR Q. W. Tucker BY Q 11333:;

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 2, 1940 PATENT OFFICE CORD PLUG Clarence W. Tucker, Lodi, Calif. Application April 13, 1938, Serial No. 201,743

1 Claim.

This invention relates in general to electric cord plugs and in particular is directed to, and it is my principal object to provide a cord plug lock, incorporated with the members of the plug,

5 which is designed to effectively prevent accidental separation of said members when engaged.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the-purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the male member of a cord plug unit constructed according to my invention. I

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the male member.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the female member.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the female 25 member taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig- .ure 3.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, my improved cord plug unit comprises a male member I and 30 a female member 2 as is usual; the male member being provided with the customary spaced and parallel contact prongs 3.

The body 4 of the female member 2 is formed with opposed, substantially arcuate symmetrical 36 slots 5 extending in a longitudinal plane and spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of prongs 3. The interior of the female member 2 is hollow and spring contact elements 6 are mounted therein in suitable manner for frictional 40 engagement with the lower end portions of the prongs 3 as will hereinafter appear. One of the contact elements 6 is connected to one terminal I of the female member, while the other contact element is connected to the remaining terminal 8. 4s The slots 5 adjacent opposite ends and at the sides are notched as at awhile the prongs 3 are provided with locking lugs l which project outwardly from the exterior. face thereof.

To engage and lock the members I and 2 to- 59 gether, prongs 3 are inserted in slots in position. so that lugs I. pass through notches 9. Thereafter a quarter turn of the male member I in the proper direction moves the prongs about the slots and frictionally engages lugs ll against 55 shoulders ll formed on the under side of the As the lugs l0 engage the shoulders II and the prongs approach the ends of slots 5 opposite notches 8, the sides of said prongs at the lower end frictionally engage contact elements 5, and complete the circuit. In such relative position 5 the members of the cord plug unit cannot accidentally separate.

The lugs are so disposed on the prongs that said prongs, if initially misplaced in the slots cannot engage the contact elements. The lugs must first pass through notches 9 before the members can be turned and the circuit closed. If desired, an annular locating flange I! can be formed on the female member, and a complementary element [3 formed on the male member.

While the invention in the present embodiment includes a screw-in type female member, the invention may be readily incorporated in permanentinstallations of the wall type or the like.

From the foregoing description it will be read ily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A connector unit comprising a male member having diametrally opposed parallel contact prongs projecting from one face, a female member having opposed arcuate prong receiving slots in one face, the slots being cut so that the prongs may enter the slots at one end only but may then advance to the other end of the slots with relative rotation of the members and diametrally 40 opposed contact elements mounted in the female member below and adjacent the other end of the slots; each element comprising a V shaped spring strip extending in a plane at right angles to the slotted face of the female member with its apex 5 facing said one end of the corresponding slot and disposed radially out therefrom, the radially outermost leg of the strip being secured on said female member and in connection with an exterior contact thereon and the other leg extend- 0 ing diagonally across the path of movement of said prong along the slot for wiping engagement thereby as the prong reaches a fully advanced position in the slot.

CLARENCE W. TUOKIB. 

